Beisa oryx

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Beisa oryx
Beisa Oryx (Oryx beisa) in Awash National Park

Beisa Oryx ( Oryx beisa ) in Awash National Park

Systematics
without rank: Forehead weapon bearer (Pecora)
Family : Horned Bearers (Bovidae)
Subfamily : Antilopinae
Tribe : Horse rams (Hippotragini)
Genre : Oryx antelopes ( Oryx )
Type : Beisa oryx
Scientific name
Oryx beisa
( Rüppell , 1835)

The Beisa oryx ( Oryx beisa ), often also called East African billy or East African oryx , occasionally called Beisa antelope or Eritrea oryx , is a species of antelope belonging to the genus of the oryx antelopes . It occurs in northeastern Africa and was sometimes only listed as a subspecies of the gibbet .

features

The Beisa oryx reaches a head-trunk length of 160 to 190 centimeters and a tail length of 70 to 80 centimeters. His shoulder height is 110 to 120 centimeters and his weight 150 to 200 kilograms. The fur is gray-brown on the back and white on the belly, a 24 to 71 mm wide, black stripe runs along the back. There are also black markings on the knees of the forelegs, as well as on the face: Here a black stripe extends from the base of the horn over the eye to the cheek, next to it there is a bell-shaped nose patch and a smaller forehead patch. The ears are long and narrow, in contrast to the tufted ear oryx ( Oryx callotis ) there are no tufts of hair on the tips of the ears . The horns are very long and thin compared to the skull and slightly curved backwards. They are present in both sexes, their length is 75 to 90 centimeters, at the base they have a diameter of about 11 cm. 15 to 25 horizontal rings are formed on the horns. Awash Valley individuals often have a more pronounced ocher face and paler legs.

distribution and habitat

These antelopes are native to northeastern Africa, their range extends from Eritrea and Djibouti to Ethiopia and Somalia . The habitat of these animals are dry steppes, semi-deserts and savannas.

Lifestyle and diet

Ordinary Beisa (graphic representation of the Beisa oryx from 1894)

These antelopes live in mixed herds of six to 40 animals, old males are usually solitary animals. There is a distinct hierarchy within the herd, with a female leading the group and the dominant male guarding the end. When threatened they usually try to flee, but if they are harassed they can defend themselves with their horns and inflict serious injuries on attackers.

They show some adaptations to their hot habitat. This allows their body temperature to rise to over 46 ° C without being harmed. This reduces sweating and thus water loss.

Their diet consists of grasses, leaves and other vegetable materials. If there is no drinking water available, you can satisfy the fluid requirement from fruits and moist tubers.

Reproduction

There is no fixed mating season, but the females in a herd often give birth to their newborns at the same time. The gestation period is 8.5 to 10 months, the litter size usually one. The young animal is weaned after 3.5 months, sexual maturity occurs in females at 1.5 to 2 years and in males at five years. These antelopes can live up to 18 years.

threat

The Beisa-Oryx is listed as Near threatened by the IUCN . The reasons are the hunting pressure and the increasing circumcision of their habitat.

Systematics

The East African Oryx antelopes are closely related to the gibbet living in southern Africa and were previously classified as subspecies, but today they are considered independent. As a rule, the populations of East Africa were grouped under the species Oryx beisa and differentiated into several subspecies. A revision of the hornbeams in 2011 raised them to species level.

literature

Web links

Commons : East African Oryx ( Oryx beisa )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files